There are many benefits associated with having a computer office network, regardless of whether you are ready to implement electronic medical records (EMR) or not. For example, what begins as a casual suggestion from a staff person can blossom into a practice-wide protocol which improves overall productivity.

A committee comprised of important staff and IT personnel designed our EMR implementation. We conducted the plan in stages, so that contributors would be able to familiarize themselves with the environment. Meanwhile, the committee prepared for the increasing complexity level of upcoming systems.

We first set up the local area network, or LAN. We then converted to the new enterprise practice management system, or EPM. We discovered that the basic network assists with clear communications between personnel, including functionality which did not exist previously.

Electronic Payroll and Time Clocks

By rolling out the electronic time clocks, we could could use a pin code and biometric fingerprint analysis to keep track of employee payroll hours. The scanner makes sure that those who clock in later clock out - and prevents one employee from clocking in or out for another. The data is relayed to the accountant over the network, which is used for payroll purposes. All the information is then exported to our outsourced payroll firm.

Network Applications

Now our practice is able to use applications such as the Academy of Science Course Books CD-ROM, which is available with a license. This great clinical resource is accessible from the home or office using Remote Desktop Services. Photos from our digital slit lamp can be viewed and emailed as attachments in this way.

Office E-Mail

At our practice, internal e-mail is handled by the mail server. The administrators can quickly disseminate information to all the doctors, or collect the results from quick polling when there isn''t enough time to meet with everyone in person. This helps us save time which would otherwise be spent making phone calls and tying up the lines during business ours. Our staff members are asked to check their e-mail inbox at least once a day, in order to be sure they have the most current information from the supervisors. Another benefit that Microsoft Exchange offers remote access. The physicians are able to check their office e-mail from anywhere in the world using the Internet. Financial information can be safely transmitted to our partners by the accountants, and the need for excessive paperwork is reduced.

Paperless Fax

Our administrators are able to electronically review faxed documents using networked fax service. During this process, they are able to decide if they want to e-mail, delete, or print them out. A networked multi-function printer can scan paper documents as PDFs, then e-mail them on to any number of staff. This significantly reduces the amount of paper faxes at a practice.

Triage Processing

When we were still using the old EPM system, our IT director created a triage application which let operators register calls automatically. Then the patient was handed over to the medical assistant. This program assigns a staff person ownership of a patient''s issues, and the issues will remain open until the problems are resolved. Every time a patient receives a phone call, a time stamp is created. The supervisors can use this application to monitor information flow, delegating calls to additional staff if the team falls behind. We no longer have patients waiting to have their concerns addressed by our staff.

Document Repository

The public folders residing on the exchange server are used to access important information, including the employee handbook, vacation schedules, and reservations calendars. These same folders can be used for secure storage.

We have designed some in-house programs to help us manage specific tasks. The first helps calculate our prescription capture rate, which is broken down by location and individual doctor. Another custom application completes work-orders, and is located on a network that is accessible by IT, Human Resources, and Facilities. If supplies are needed, or a piece of equipment is damaged, an employee can complete a work-order and send it on to the right person. This facilitates full accountability while the chain of custody among the departments is being managed. At the moment, our Human Resources staff is working on an application that will let new employees enroll using our own electronic interface.